The following is a press release from Iowa State Athletics:
LOS ANGELES – Iowa State women’s basketball guard Ashley Joens was named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List the John R. Wooden Award announced Wednesday.
Joens has made quite the splash to start the 2020-21 season, ranking fifth nationally in scoring, averaging a Big 12-leading 25.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists. Joens has been named Big 12 Player of the Week twice and was named to every Player of the Year watch list so far this season. Joens has notched four 30-point outings this season, becoming the fourth Big 12 player to notch four-consecutive 30-point games since Britney Griner.
Joens also earned multiple preseason All-America nods, and was named to the Cheryl Miller Award Watch List after earning a spot as a Top-5 finalist last season.
The players on the list are considered strong candidates for the 2021 John R. Wooden Award Women’s Player of the Year presented by Wendy’s. Players not chosen to the preseason list are still eligible for the Wooden Award™ midseason list, late season list, and the National Ballot.
The National Ballot consists of 15 top players who have proven to their universities that they meet or exceed the qualifications of the Wooden Award. Voters will rank in order 10 of those 15 players when voting opens prior to the NCAA Tournament and will allow voters to take into consideration performance during early round games. The Wooden Award All American Team™ will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the 2021 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Wendy’s following the NCAA Tournament in April.